creep

The slow, continuous movement of soil, rock, or a fault — imperceptible in the moment but measurable over months or years. Soil creep moves the surface of a hillside downslope under the influence of gravity and water, bending tree trunks, tilting fenceposts, and bulging retaining walls. Fault creep is the gradual, aseismic sliding of a fault — movement without earthquakes, the stress relieved in a slow grind rather than a sudden rupture. Creep is geology’s patience, doing in centuries what earthquakes do in seconds.